Roadside America ...an American Icon ....  thank you for posting the photos ... 

Some things never change, Joe, and Roadside America is at the top of the list. If you go back in 15 years, I bet everything will be just the way you left it. 

Actually, things have been changing (for the better). I follow them on Facebook, and they've done a great job repairing things, cleaning, and overall restoring the layout. While it's not changed on first glance, they're making a real effort to make sure the display lasts another 60+ years

I haven't been there for maybe thirty years or so.  Brings back memories as a kid, always wanting to visit but never did.  As a young adult I finally got there in the early seventies.  I've read some of the stories about how the brothers got started on their mother's kitchen table.  very interesting. 

I think the one issue with things not changing is after a couple of visits, there's no driving reason to go back.  I think I've been there three times, and if anything changed between visits, it was simply the number of nicks in the railings.

NYC JOE, great pictures and a layout I want to visit for sure. What city and state is this great model railroad masterpiece located in? I have heard about this layout for years but have never had time to see it, next year I retire, so, it’s on my list of layouts to see....Thank You...

It's in Shartleville, Pa. 

Shartlesville, Pennsylvania

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

 

Shartlesville, Pennsylvania
Census-designated place
Shartlesville <label><input name="switcher-0" type="radio" />Show map of Pennsylvania</label><label><input name="switcher-0" type="radio" />Show map of the US</label><label><input name="switcher-0" type="radio" />Show all</label>
Coordinates: 40°30′46″N 76°06′16″WCoordinates: 40°30′46″N 76°06′16″W
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Berks
Township	Upper Bern
Elevation	568 ft (173 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	455
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	19554
Area code(s)	610 & 484 /610 Exchange: 488
GNIS feature ID	1187386[1]

Shartlesville is a census-designated place^[2] in Upper Bern Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 455 residents.^[3]

It is located just south of Interstate 78 and is served by the Hamburg Area School District. It is home to the Shartlesville Hotel, which suffered major roof damage in February 2009 during a wind storm, which also knocked down a billboard in Reading and blew off roof tiles of the Pagoda in eastern Reading.

The community is also the home of Roadside America, a large community of miniature trains and villages, located off Interstate 78, that is open to the public. Just to the north of Shartlesville is located the Mountain Springs Arena, which hosts events including rodeos, concerts, horse shows, demolition derbies, and tractor pulls.

The village is located on the south side of Blue Mountain and is drained by the Wolf Creek south into the Northkill Creek, a tributary of the Tulpehocken Creek. While the village has its own box post office with the ZIP codeof 19554, outlying areas have the Bernville ZIP code of 19506 or the Hamburg ZIP code of 19526.^[4][5]

Thanks for posting Joe ,

           It brings back a lot of good memories for me . Both my father and my uncle were into trains  and both had great layouts that were put up for Christmas each year . To satisfy the lack of trains in the summer , we would pile into the Studebaker and make the day long trip to Shartlesville  Pa. and stop at Roadside America . This was an annual event for many years .

           Although it never seemed to change , it  was always a welcome sight . Day turned into night and the entire scene became aglow with night lights ,  serenaded by Kate Smith singing "God Bless America ".Then morning would come and another day would begin .

           After we had seen everything , it was back in the car for a short trip down the road to "Haggs Hotel" for a Pennsylvania Dutch style meal .My parents and my aunt and uncle loved that place . As a kid , I hated it .  The last time I can remember going with them was 1960 or 1961 . I was becoming a teenager and there were more important things in life for me to explore . 

            Fast forward to 2006 and on a whim , I decided to take three of my grandchildren and see if it was still there . Not only was it still there , it was just as I remembered it  from forty five years ago . After we thoroughly enjoyed our visit , we were able to retrace my memory back to Haggs Hotel and sample the same type of meal that I had as a kid . Only this time my wife and I enjoyed it and my grandkids hated it . Ah , the circle of life !!!

Thank you. Its a real treat seeing all that again.

we were there about two weeks a go i did notice alot of the cleaning they're doing, and the little upper section is closed for renovation right now, i also noticed they put gold fish back in the front pond. haggs was on the list too but we skipped it this time.

Great pictures, Joe!  Even though Roadside America was nearby I never got there before moving to the west coast. 

I will have to make the effort during a future York Meet trip. 

I say Road Side America is what has kept me in trains all these years. All the operating vinettes. Enjoy going back now and then.

Redball